For many parents, strollers are indispensable for carrying their children, particularly in urban areas where it is more convenient to travel by foot than by car. The childcare industry has responded by propagating a number of different types of stroller to address varying needs of each parent. Generally, design efforts have focused on creating lighter, more ergonomic, yet stable strollers. While these qualities are generally desired in all strollers, the stroller industry has failed to adequately meet the needs of parents with multiple children. These parents require multiple strollers when traveling with multiple children, but also require the convenience and flexibility of a single-stroller when traveling with one child.
To help parents with multiple children, the stroller industry has developed “dual-strollers.” Dual strollers are generally comprised of two child seating areas that are either horizontally or vertically aligned. The horizontally aligned dual-strollers sit the children side-by-side and next to each other. The vertically aligned dual-strollers sit the children relatively one above the other. While these types of strollers may work for carrying two children of approximately the same size, they suffer from several drawbacks. For example, the dual-strollers are generally sold as “dual-strollers”; therefore, for childcare providers who have a single child most of the time and only sometimes have a second child, the dual stroller is an expensive and wasteful solution. Moreover, when only one child is being transported, dual-strollers are awkward to push as the balancing is displaced. Another problem occurs when two adults using a dual-stroller have to travel to two different locations, each with one child. In this circumstance, the dual-stroller cannot be separated for use as it is an integrated unit designed to transport two children together.
As such, there remains a need for an improved stroller that has the benefits of both a single and multi-seat stroller that is safe, convenient, and that can be produced and sold at a reasonable cost.